Ningen no joken III (1961)

Réalisateur:

Masaki Kobayashi

Writers:

Jumpei Gomikawa (novel)
Koichi Inagaki (writer)

Release Date:

5 août 1970 (USA)

Genre:

Drame | History | War

Plot:

Part three of a trilogy. Conscientious objector Kaji, a Japanese soldier, is captured by Soviet troops and imprisoned in Siberia...

Plot Keywords:

Russian | War | Soviet | WWII | Manchuria

Awards:

5 wins

Avis des utilisateurs:

Possibly the greatest anti-war statement

Ensemble

Tatsuya Nakadai	...	Kaji
Michiyo Aratama	...	Machiko
Yusuke Kawazu	...	Terada
Tamao Nakamura	...	Girl refugee
Chishu Ryu	...	Village elder
Taketoshi Naitô	...	Pfc. Tange
Reiko Hitomi	...	Umeko
Kyôko Kishida	...	Ryuko
Nobuo Kaneko	...	Cpl. Kirikara
Fujio Suga	...	Capt. Nagata
Keijiro Morozumi	...	Cpl. Hironaka
Hideko Takamine	...	Woman in the settlers' village

Autre(s) titre(s) :

A Soldier's Prayer
Ningen no joken V-VI
The Human Condition III (USA)
Condition de l'homme: La prière du soldat, La (France) [fr]

Durée:

190 min | West Germany:143 min

Pays:

Japan

Langue:

Mandarin | Russe | Japonais

Couleur:

Noir et Blanc

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Son:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Classification:

West Germany:16 (f) | USA:GP

Company:

Ninjin Club

Connexions De Film:

Follows Ningen no joken II (1959)

Possibly the greatest anti-war statement

When people think of anti-war films titles such as Platoon, All Quiet on the Western Front and Schindler's List almost immediately come to mind; such films have defined the genre in American culture. However very few directors have provided the perspective from the axis point of view, and fewer still were able to do so in a way that humanizes all countries, not just the protagonist's. Masaki Kobayashi, who is most well known for his samurai pictures such as Seppuku and Samurai Rebellion is able to form such a film, without even a hint of pretentiousness.

The series of films spans nearly ten hours, following a pacifist named Kaji (Tatsuya Nakadai), as he struggles to keep his principles during war times. First as an overseer of a P.O.W. camp, then as a soldier. Due to the length of the film, the level of character development and acting quality, we end up feeling his frustration, pain and triumphs, as each occasion leaves room for both a triumph of the human spirit and subjugation of it. Kaji despises both warfare and violence of all kinds, yet tries to rationalize it for the good of those around him. We become so attached to him and his struggle, that we begin to feel similarly, and as a result we are left with one of the most moving chronicles of the loss that war becomes. I won't spoil anything, but any viewer will be floored by the end, it left me utterly breathless.

So overall I recommend it quite highly, its one of the few great anti-war statements that has aged VERY well in the modern day, and possibly Kobayashi's greatest work. Never slow, yet at the same time never glorifying the action, it is a film that I eagerly await to see re-released.

10/10.